Snow on the Way!

It’s Beef Stew and Dumpling weather, Lancashire Hot Pot, Chicken Pie weather, comforting food weather. The week has been clear, sugary, crispy, crunchy, cold, cold, cold. As the sun appeared slowly over the hill the grass began to steam and boil. Gradually the land turned green again but now it’s cold and damp and getting worse! Snow forecasts for tomorrow, so unusual here, and freezing fog and dark, dank days. Suddenly it’s just a little warmer and the sky has taken on that certain ominous, pinky yellowy tinge we so rarely see in South Devon.  Time to hunker down, fill the stables with straw, feed the sheep on the hill and prepare for the freeze.

Junior has done his job, ewes with bright pink tup marks on their backs graze contentedly, a sure prophecy of lambing in the spring. Scruffy has blossomed and, despite his early trauma and slightly strange looks, is being quite a Gigolo amongst the older Jacob ladies up the hill.

Friday’s sarcoid has come off at last and the wound is slowly healing, Sweep has been caught eating the new hay so her ordeal at the dentist was worth while. And Dandy’s foot abscess has finally gone. Truffle shows no sign of her recent stroke and Wellie is calming down. Oh, and the ram lamb attacked by crows is out in the field again. What a bad animal month we have had.

Sunday found me walking along the river bank at low tide rejoicing in silence. Just the quack of a duck or the cry of the egret and the splashing of the paddling dogs carried me along amongst the popping seaweed on a deliciously squelchy fore shore.  I needed the silence of the water to flush out the awful character I had been playing in the local village play. I’ve been living with her for weeks and now, to my enormous relief, at last I can let her go. For some extraordinary reason I had allowed my self to be part of the cast for the first time in my life. Gradually the awful “Eleanor” and her dreadful dog took over my whole being and invaded my every move! And it was all a huge, very frightening success!

Childhood memories of am-dram, rehearsals in the basement, a house full of actors, threats of schooling at the Theatre Arts School, all flooded back. Both my parents were on the professional stage in the 1930s, my father was at RADA. They met in Rep. acting their way through the pre war years As life changed after the second world war they moved into the realms of Am-Dram and I felt sure I was put off for life. I have managed to steer well clear of it all till now and  I don’t think I’ll be doing it again though, in the genes or not!

And now the snow has arrived, oh boy has it snowed! And the West Country, not used to these conditions, is in chaos. A trip across the Moor to collect food for our chickens turned into a slippery slidey six hour nightmare. And we’re the lucky ones; many people are still stuck in freezing conditions waiting for the helicopters to rescue then. Climate change and the reality of global warming is unfolding around us right here, right under our noses.

Comments

[Barbara, sis inlaw]

Your BLOG brings me closer to you. I love it.

[Barbara, sis inlaw]

your BLOG brings me closer to you, I loveit!!

[Jen]

I know nothing about sheep - not firsthand, that is; not beyond mint sauce and winter woolies - but I have so enjoyed taking a dip (sheep pun?) in your blog - photographic essays, really, your posts are - that I just had to leave a comment to that effect.

Warm greetings from the (soon-to-be-snowing) east coast of Canada! ~Jen

[A + R]

Well Sal, I'am sitting in front of the wood burner, reading your latest, and it reminds me that we are so lucky to live here. Please keep up the good work, i always enjoy reading your piece.
HAPPY CHRSTMAS to you and all your animals. Extra BIG kiss to truffly xx
A + R